It is with sadness that the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria shares the news that proud Gunditjmara man, Paul Richardson – a candidate in our recent Treaty Elections – has passed away following a heart attack.
We send our love and thoughts to Paul’s family and pay tribute to his willingness to stand for and serve his community.
As Paul had explained to his family, he nominated as a candidate because he wanted to encourage community members to get involved and vote in the Treaty Elections to help drive positive change for all Aboriginal people.
He saw Treaty as a way to gain recognition and compensation for past injustices and to restore our human rights and cultural and heritage rights as Traditional Owners of these lands.
Paul was 66 years old and is survived by his wife Fran and son Santo.
Under the Assembly’s election rules, Paul’s candidacy has been withdrawn. If you voted for Paul, your vote will flow on in full value to the candidate you listed as your second preference. The vote count will begin this Saturday.
